LANCASTER PROMOTES ITS AP STUDENTS.Byline: Marci Wormser Staff Writer LANCASTER - Lancaster High School Lancaster High School may refer to:
The social studies department chairman and advanced-placement history teacher recently coordinated a support program for students in advanced placement classes. It's a program offering academic and emotional support for students who are under stress because of demanding school schedules or who want a place to retreat to when things get tough. ``We're trying to create a community of students who believe in working hard,'' Shepardson said. ``We wanted to give students the feeling it's cool to be smart.'' The retreat site for harried students is a classroom filled with computers, subject review materials, college resources and a sitting area. The room is open during lunch and after school, and Shepardson hopes to start a tutoring program as well. The center - Room 507 - ``has now become the hub of advanced-placement activity at Lancaster High School,'' Assistant Principal Stacy Bryant said. Bryant helped the students secure the room for the program. Two of Shepardson's AP students had initiated the idea for the center. ``I kind of came up with the idea in the middle of the night while studying for exams,'' senior Koree Clanton said. The aspiring oncologist Oncologist A physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer Mentioned in: Retinoblastoma oncologist said she thought of creating a special center for advanced placement students after she tried to study for her exams and found the school library did not carry the proper study guides for her classes. Clanton, who is taking four advanced placement classes this semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s , said she hopes the center will encourage a sense of camaraderie ca·ma·ra·der·ie n. Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship. [French, from camarade, comrade, from Old French, roommate; see comrade. among high- achieving students. Senior Tashara Barnes, who helped cofound co·found tr.v. co·found·ed, co·found·ing, co·founds To establish or found in concert with another or others. co·found the program, agreed. ``I wanted to do something that would leave a mark on this school,'' she said. ``AP students are everywhere, with nothing to hold us together - but a lot of the teachers here are looking at it negatively, saying it's a hangout hang·out n. Slang A frequently visited place. Noun 1. hangout - a frequently visited place haunt, stamping ground, resort, repair without trying to look at what we're trying to do.'' Barnes, who applied to Pepperdine University Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is adjacent to the city limits of Malibu. , Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. , Spellman College, Oxford University and the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission , said she hopes the program will encourage other students to take AP classes and apply to college. Shepardson pointed out that students who take AP classes are more prepared for college. ``It makes them a stronger college candidate,'' he said. To qualify for AP classes, a student must be tested. The number of Lancaster High students taking tests to qualify for advanced-placement classes has risen, from 208 last year to 338 this year, Shepardson said. Of those students, 57 percent passed the tests, compared to a national average of 50 percent. ``I want to bring in as many kids as possible,'' he said. ``I want as many students as possible to take the challenge.'' Shepardson awards students who pass AP tests with a patch they can proudly wear on their letterman jackets. ``We're investing in these students now,'' he said. ``There will be a payoff later.'' |
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